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“I Dreamed of a Church: Christ’s Representative”

This will be the “back page” for the 19 March 2017, 3rd Sunday of Lent (A), bulletin at Fishkill UMC. The reading for this Sunday comes from Matthew 25. I have told this story before but it speaks to the point of our participation in someone else’s baptism.

I have been fortunate to have been directly involved in the baptism of several individuals, both as a pastoral assistant and as a member of the family. Perhaps the greatest joy was when I presented Casey, my granddaughter, and George, my grandson, to the congregation on the day of their baptisms.

But the story that strikes a chord with me is not my story but rather that of a current United Methodist pastor. At the time of this story, this pastor-to-be was a bouncer in a local bar (which seems to be the career path of choice these days). He was present at the baptism as the result of a direct command from his sister. So, he came to church that Sunday morning after a rather long night at his regular job. At the end of the service, one of the “saints” of the church saw that he was desperately searching for a cup of coffee and directed him to the church’s Fellowship Hall.

A few weeks later he found the bulletin for that Sunday in his coat pocket. With the remembrance that someone had shown him some kindness, he returned to that church on his own accord. Shortly afterwards, he made the decision to accept Christ as his Savior and he was baptized.

As it turns out, there was more to this than simply accepting the call to follow Christ. It began a journey that has lead to becoming a minister in the United Methodist Church.

We all take part in the baptism of an individual. In our participation, we welcome friends and strangers. And while we never know how this will all turn out, we need to understand that one time someone offered a cup of coffee to a stranger and a life was changed. – Tony Mitchell